Chapter 917
Episode 228: The Fierce Battle at Groshae Castle (13)
KRAAAANG—!
The Reverse Heaven’s magic sphere spun violently, emitting a piercing, grating noise. The deafening sound and shockwaves were so intense they drowned out the ringing in everyone’s ears caused by the Field of Loss. Those who had been slumped throughout the castle and ships groaned in response to the Reverse Heaven’s power.
It was as if they were waking from unconsciousness, suddenly jolted by pain.
Had the Reverse Heaven’s shock not struck, every soldier in Inse would have been swallowed whole by the Field of Loss, losing consciousness entirely.
“GRAAAH!”
“Ugh…!”
The allied knights, the Federation’s bio-golems and mages, Kinzello’s masters and demons, and the battle beastmen all screamed in agony.
None of them fully understood the exact nature of the magic Sakiel had unleashed, but instinctively, they knew it was deadly.
That’s why they screamed—to cling desperately to consciousness. Everyone gathered at Groshae Castle understood that losing their minds for even a moment meant immediate death.
And the only reason they could hold on was because the Reverse Heaven was disrupting Sakiel’s magic.
In other words, the lives of everyone fighting inside Groshae Castle now hung in Jin Runkandel’s hands.
“Kinzello! Get all forces under the Reverse Heaven’s sphere! Gather where its influence is strongest. If you step outside it, it’s over!”
Orgal shouted.
Thanks to recently recovered memories, he fully understood what kind of magic the Field of Loss was.
‘This clearly exposes how hollow Zito’s reign truly is. To think he’d resort to the Field of Loss… If Jin Runkandel’s Reverse Heaven can’t properly counter this, all factions will suffer irreparable damage.’
Betty Zipple gave similar orders.
“Hold your ground beneath the Reverse Heaven’s sphere. Humans and dragons, move calmly under it. Spirits can be used as shields without hesitation.”
Spirits and bio-golems could be sacrificed here and remade later.
Until now, the Reverse Heaven had been a symbol of terror for the alliance’s enemies, but now it was their lifeline.
Of course, Jin had no intention of protecting them completely.
They had only gathered to fight a common enemy; fundamentally, they were not allies but clear foes.
‘Lucky for them. Since I can’t fully control the Reverse Heaven while blocking Sakiel’s magic, even if they want to survive and come under it, I can’t push them away.’
But there was no reason to be considerate.
Reverse Heaven was a grand magic that caused mana backlash in all living beings within its range.
And most of those near it now possessed mana. Kinzello’s demons, except for the masters and beastmen, all had mana; Zipple’s forces were all mana users.
“Ugh…!”
Cough!
Those trying to survive by using the Reverse Heaven all paid a price. Anyone with lower mana than Jin or less understanding of magic suffered mana backlash without exception.
Every step closer to the Reverse Heaven forced them to cough up blood.
Of course, many in the Balmel Alliance also had mana. Jin carefully adjusted the Reverse Heaven to avoid harming them while countering the Field of Loss.
“It’s too late to escape. Balmel forces, gather under the Reverse Heaven. His magic already affects far beyond the Wall of Death.”
“Understood!”
Naturally, the Balmel Alliance was the first to secure the safe zone beneath the Reverse Heaven.
Occasionally, half-mad members of other factions, driven insane by the Field of Loss and Reverse Heaven, pretended to be allies and tried to infiltrate the safe zone. All were cut down by the alliance’s superhumans.
After confirming his allies had taken refuge under the Reverse Heaven, Jin refocused on Sakiel.
About three minutes after the Field of Loss began, Dante had been relentlessly attacking Sakiel.
Her physical body had vanished without a trace. The crystal orb was shattered into fragments scattered somewhere.
In its place, a violet mist lingered like smoke—the remnant of her soul, preserved by Zito’s life force delaying her death.
[Jin Runkandel… you’re still struggling to the end…]
“That’s what I should be saying, Sakiel. Whatever that was, it was a damn annoying magic.”
Kiiit, KRAAAANG—!
The Reverse Heaven absorbed Sakiel’s magic more ferociously by the moment.
Not only the Field of Loss but also the Wall of Death was collapsing. The contracted Wall of Death soon disintegrated entirely into the Reverse Heaven, revealing the landscape beyond the castle walls.
‘I knew this magic extended beyond the Wall of Death, but not to this extent…’
A boundless white aura, like sea fog, spread endlessly over the blood- and mana-soaked ocean. Sakiel had planned from the start for Inse’s forces to flee the Field of Loss.
Could the Reverse Heaven truly absorb all of that?
It was impossible to tell.
‘The amount of mana I have isn’t the issue. Even if I brought Enya’s mirror, it wouldn’t help.’
What Jin needed now wasn’t a way to amplify the Reverse Heaven, but a skilled user who could quickly unravel this “unknown dark realm ritual.”
And Orgal had already anticipated Jin’s dilemma.
[Jin, this is the Field of Loss—a forbidden magic of the True Demon Realm. I think I can help you. If you let me control the Reverse Heaven’s power affecting us.]
Jin smiled slyly.
“Orgal, do you think I need you right now?”
[Hmm, just testing the waters. As expected, no luck.]
“Just be grateful I’m keeping our forces alive. Be thankful I’m not so bored that I’m venting this frustration on Kinzello.”
Orgal shrugged and returned to his place.
[Too scared to even talk to me. I was just sharing good info.]
There was no need to owe Orgal anything.
The alliance had someone who understood magic better than anyone else in the world.
“Jin.”
Valeria Hister.
Jin smiled as Valeria flew to his side on the currents of the Reverse Heaven. She had been analyzing Sakiel’s magic the moment she self-destructed.
“Valeria.”
“Thanks to Orgal naming the magic, I’m more certain now. The ritual and magic circle’s structure were unfamiliar, so it was tough, but this is definitely similar to Zipple’s history manipulation magic.”
“History manipulation?”
“It likely damages the target’s memories. I was frustrated not knowing the exact purpose, but the enemy just gave it away.”
Orgal had revealed the magic’s name—Field of Loss—and Sakiel had boasted it would reduce all to empty shells, forgetting everything.
Hearing this, Jin quickly turned to look at Orgal again.
‘Orgal… you deliberately leaked the magic’s name, expecting Valeria to step in and find a solution more easily.’
Orgal gave a thumbs-up and smiled.
From his perspective, it was beneficial for Jin to completely break the Field of Loss. His offer of help was just a way to get Jin to owe him.
“True, one of them had somewhat impure motives, though.”
“Now that we know the magic’s name and purpose, we can carefully unravel the complex ritual and the spell itself. Got it? I’ll handle that, so keep blocking the Field of Loss from expanding.”
“Understood.”
“Because you disrupted the Field of Loss’s start so well, the ritual is already mostly broken. Without the Reverse Heaven, even I wouldn’t have been able to unravel it this quickly. It was truly dangerous…”
Sakiel was speechless.
She had risked her life to unleash the True Demon Realm’s most forbidden magic, sacrificing countless demons as offerings.
Yet Jin was dismantling the Field of Loss with ease. Valeria Hister was analyzing and deconstructing the magic circle as if studying for a test.
‘This can’t be… How dare humans so easily undo the magic I’ve devoted my life to!’
An indescribably deep and overwhelming sense of humiliation gnawed at Sakiel’s last remaining sanity.
The Field of Loss was collapsing right before her eyes, and she could do nothing.
Her body to further the magic was gone, the sacrifices vanished, and the crystal orb destroyed.
All she could do was watch, as a fading soul, while Jin and Valeria dismantled the Field of Loss.
[Stop! I said stop!]
In the end, Sakiel could only scream.
Even though shouting would reveal her weakness and make her look pathetic to the enemy.
She couldn’t bear the shock of everything falling apart.
Looking back, it had always been like this since her first encounter with Jin. Zito’s flesh disappeared meaninglessly, carefully chosen moves missed, and no grand magic ever worked.
In short, Sakiel was in despair.
“It will end soon. Just wait quietly. When you die, do you go to hell? Wherever you go, prepare to meet your king first. Zito will be finished soon.”
[WAAAAAAH!]
Sakiel’s anguished scream echoed. She did not stop until the Field of Loss was completely undone.
The pain and emptiness tearing through her soul rivaled, even surpassed, the torture she endured under Zito’s hands in the past.
“Lord Jito… in the end, I failed to be of any help to you. I couldn’t raise the banner of the new order. Lord Paelito, please do not forgive me.”
The moment he thought this, Sakiel heard a mocking voice echoing inside him.
It was Jito’s voice—resonating from within Sakiel’s own mind.
“Pfft, pffhahaha. Ah, this is driving me crazy. Yes, this is exactly it, Sakiel. This is what I wanted all along. So there’s no need to apologize to me.”
“Lord Jito…!?”
“Hahaha, well, you’ve done well so far. Don’t worry about Paelito. I’ll make sure to keep him entertained.”
“Lord Jito, what on earth is—”
“Still using honorifics with me, huh? Hey, Sakiel, don’t you feel something stirring in your memory? Like a certain time in the past when you and Paelito were… quite close?”
The brainwashing Jito had placed on Sakiel was unraveling. Forgotten memories surged back relentlessly, and once again, Sakiel was forced into despair.
Just as he was about to unleash a curse upon Jito—
“It’s over, Sakiel.”
Yeokcheon shattered the stage of loss completely. At the same moment, Sakiel lost the last shred of his consciousness.
That was the moment the siege of Groshé Castle came to an end.